Last month, we discussed a variety of rubs, including velvet-shedding rubs and mock-combat rubs. This month, we’ll delve into the much more complicated world of scent-post, or scent-communication, rubs. Without a doubt, these are the most significant rubs to hunters.

What good old red-blooded American hunter’s pulse does not quicken when he hears these words whispered in the fall woods? Like scrapes, rubs are one of the most exciting and informative types of sign left by a buck in the fall woods. But in order to benefit from what rubs can tell us, we’ve got to be able to understand them.

Being a successful trophy hunter means being open-minded to new ideas. In this story, the author shares his experience with a mock-scrape technique learned from two other experts that produces results.

Mature bucks use their noses in ways that hunters often fail to understand, and this lack of understanding comes with a heavy price. By learning as much as we can about the way bucks use the “scent factor” as a survival tool, we might just increase our odds of filling a tag.

If you can correctly second-guess that cagey old buck you’re after, you may be well on your way toward winning the contest. But how do you actually get inside his head? Veteran bowhunter Mike Rex shares some invaluable insight.